By four months old, a baby’s digestive system should have developed sufficiently to be able to digest their feeds properly. Parents can start to wean their babies off Colief, firstly by halving the drops per feed, then using at alternative feeds, then using for just one feed per day before complete removal. If at any stage the signs of discomfort return, revert to previous dosage level.
Colief Clinical Evidence
Initial hospital trials in Cork showed that the product had a pronounced effect on babies with a temporary sensitivity to lactose. The trial was small but the results were significant and were published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics in September 1998. They showed that by breaking down most of the lactose in a baby’s feed by adding lactase enzyme drops to the milk a number of hours before feeding, the hours of crying were significantly reduced. These results were confirmed by a subsequent, larger trial at Guys Hospital in London, published in October 2001.
Colief as a Diagnostic
As any parent with a distressed, crying baby knows, colic affects a whole household, and can be very frustrating and upsetting for parents. Colic is defined as repeated episodes of excessive and inconsolable crying in a newborn baby which otherwise appears to be perfectly healthy. The condition can affect up to one in five babies.
Research has found that a temporary sensitivity to lactose is an important factor for many babies with colic. A lack of lactase enzyme in the small intestine results in a baby’s inability to fully digest the milk-sugar lactose. The undigested lactose is then broken down in the bowel, producing lactic acid and hydrogen gas. This leads to discomfort, bloating and wind.
A one-week trial of Colief® Infant Drops can help a parent identify if a temporary sensitivity to lactose is the cause of their baby’s colic symptoms. If the baby shows no signs of improvement after a week, it can be ruled out as the cause and other possible causes can then be investigated. Temporary lactose sensitivity does not put a baby’s health at risk and will normally resolve itself around four months.